Possibilities of cell therapy in thoracic surgery

Abstract

Introduction. Bronchial fistula often occurs after lung surgery. This is an extremely severe complication with high mortality. Despite the variety methods for the treatment of bronchial fistula, the results are not always effective. In our paper, we presented a method of preventing the development of bronchial fistula based on the cell therapy. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of the cell therapy on the regeneration of damaged bronchial tissue in an experiment on non-human primates. Methods and materials. The study was performed on 6 non-human primates. Laboratory animals were divided into 2 groups: experimental and control. The left pneumonectomy with the formation of a stump of the main bronchus was done in each primate. In the experimental group, a regenerative product was introduced into the stump; in the control group, 0.9 % NaCl solution was used. The regenerative product consisted of autologous platelet-rich plasma activated by thermal lysis and the suspension of the xenogeneic fibroblast’s culture. The primates were observed for 7, 14 and 21 days, the peripheral blood was taken to study the dynamics of biologically active substances. A histological examination of the autopsy material was performed at the end of the follow-up time. Results. On the early postoperative period, a typical inflammatory reaction was observed and resulted by the intraoperative tissue damage. Then the morphological changes were different in both group. The inflammatory were mild, the restoration of the natural function of the mucous membrane and the formation of scar tissue were earlier in the experimental group than in the control group. An analysis of the dynamics of plasma mediators in the postoperative period revealed an earlier dominance of regenerative processes in the experimental group. Conclusion. The results of the study showed that the cell therapy stimulates the tissue regeneration, thereby preventing the failure of the bronchial stump suture.